Summer, Writing, Weaving.

It has been HOT here. Hot and humid, and I’ve felt like I’m drowning in my own sweat, which is no fun. Yes, I have an airconditioner, a portable R2D2 type unit, and I’ve been using the dehumidifer setting a lot. Which means lots of buckets of warm water that’s been drawn out of the air. In short, revolting.

I don’t mind the heat, but it’s the humidity that does me in. Subsequently, I’ve been sick, too, although one of the later instances was due to shitty food from a formerly reasonable restaurant. Adelaide peeps, avoid Cafe Michael 2 on Rundle Street like the plague… because the food is likely to give you the plague. And also taste like cat food. Gross.

In between melting and being sick, I’ve been lining up guest blog posts for the forthcoming release of the Aussie anthology, which is awesome and you all should go preorder it now. This is the page for the full anthology and lower down, there’s a section called ‘We also recommend,’ where you can buy the individual ebook novellas if you’d rather do that. Mine is called “The Body on the Beach.”

I also did the happy yay contracted novel dance, because the labour of love that is “City of Jade” has been contracted by Dreamspinner Press and will be out mid-year. I am excite, oh yes. And I finished book 4 of my Archangel Chronicles, phew. Now I’m working on book 5. I’ve also been doing some beta’ing, so it’s not like I haven’t been keeping busy in between my impersonations of a melting pile of goo.

Another thing I’m really excited about is weaving. Back in the reenactor day, I did a lot of tablet weaving. I loved it, and I wish I knew where my tablet loom is now. Oh well. In any case, in my desire to get back into weaving in between writing, editing, reading, guest blogging and sleep, I decided to buy a new loom. So I bought a kumihimo loom. Then a rectangular knitting loom. And yesterday, the piece de resistance, an inkle loom. This is the loom I have been dreaming of for years, so there was much rejoicing. C and other Aussie knitters and weavers, you must check out the shop I got this from. They also have yarn and spinning supplies and the couple who own it are just awesome, seriously. I plug because I love. Virginia Farm Woolwork is the name, and they’re in NSW. And if anyone is on Ravelry, friend me over there! I’m here.

This is not my loom, but it is an inkle loom, and it is awesome. Yes.

My holy grail of looms, though, is the Size 4 Spears Weaving Loom. It was sold in the 50s and 60s as a toy, but it’s a damn awesome and nifty lap loom, and I’m hoping to be able to score one off Ebay one of these days. Though if anyone knows someone who wants to sell a size 4 and doesn’t mind shipping to Australia, I’d love to know!

And that’s been about the size of things here. TV (Spartacus, Supernatural, Primeval, all the cooking shows), weaving stuffs, writing, reading, editing, guest blog posts, sleep. Phew!